New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday invited Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to the Invest Telangana Global Summit-2026, scheduled to be held in Hyderabad from December 7 to 9, and requested him to inaugurate the Defence Expo-2026, which will be organised alongside the summit.
According to a statement issued by the state government, Reddy apprised Singh of the investment potential in Telangana’s defence sector during their meeting and briefed him on the scale and scope of the proposed expo.
The Defence Expo, Reddy said, will include a dedicated session on the aerospace, defence and space sectors, besides an air show, an industrial exhibition and live demonstrations of land-based defence systems.
Representatives of defence industries, startups and young scientists are expected to take part in the event and share their experiences.
Seeking the Centre’s cooperation to hold the expo “in accordance with international standards”, the chief minister asked the defence minister to help secure the necessary airspace clearances for the air show and to facilitate the participation of Indian Air Force aircraft, including the Surya Kiran and Sarang aerobatic display teams, along with support for a static aircraft display.
He also urged the defence ministry to ensure that state-of-the-art equipment belonging to the Army, Navy and Air Force is showcased at the expo, with senior officials and representatives of the three services attending.
The participation of major defence public sector undertakings – HAL, BEL, BDL and MDL – as well as DRDO laboratories to display indigenous defence technology at the summit was also discussed.
Reddy further sought the ministry’s assistance in arranging meetings with foreign defence delegations, bilateral partners and representatives of international defence organisations on the sidelines of the summit.
On the issue of land acquisition for Adilabad Airport, the chief minister informed the Union minister that the state government has already acquired 750 acres out of the 1,500 acres sought by the ministry for the project, and the remaining 750 acres would be acquired soon.
Reddy also announced that the Telangana government’s industrial arm, TGIIC, has agreed to allocate 416.18 acres of land in Devarakadra mandal of Mahabubnagar district for a project to be undertaken by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL).
The land, he said, will be leased for 33 years at a nominal annual rent of Re 1 for the entire parcel, rather than on a per-acre basis, with a provision to extend the lease twice if required. PTI LUX LUX MNK
